Written by Michelle C. Lavigne

Louie Mechalides Captures First Win at Home Track  

Epping, NH:  The True Value Modified Racing Series made their first of three appearances at Star Speedway in Epping, NH this past Saturday night.  With dark skies the teams were ready to get racing under way to beat mother nature before she let loose with the rain.  Twenty-seven teams rolled into the 1/4 mile oval speed plant  hoping to be one of twenty-two cars to qualify for the 100 lap feature event. Three hair raising qualifiers started the night which resulted in sending top five drivers like Peter Daniels, Chris Wenzel, Dwight Jarvis and Les Hinckley into the consi with chances of not making the show.  Hinckley opted to start at the rear of the consi and take advantage of the available provisional leaving one provisional available.  Peter Daniels took the lead of the consi to make the show along with veteran drivers Dwight Jarvis and Bruce Batchelder.  Chris Wenzel in the 83 after not qualifying snatched the second available provisional putting him in the show for the night.  Teams sent home after not qualifying included veteran driver Rusty Ball, Dave Nichols, Jim Storace and rookies Mike Douglas and Karl Fredrickson.    With an impressive run in the first qualifier Ed Dachenhausen of Danbury, CT in the 48 started on the point for the 100 lap feature event.  On the outside of Dachenhausen would be the 25 of Gary Casella from Saugus, MA.  The 69 of Jimmy Dolan would take the third starting position, being the best start of Dolan's 2005 starts after having motor issues earlier in the season.  Casella would waste no time as flagman Scott Hinckley dropped the green.  Casella would be out front when the first caution of the night would fly on lap two for the 77 of Bruce Batchelder spinning in turn one.  Casella would give Dachenhausen no opportunity to take away the lead as he would stay out front on the restart.  The second caution of the night would fly on lap twenty-eight after contact between Dale Evonsion in the 35 and the 70 of Andy Seuss would send Evonsion spinning in turn four.  Both Evonsion and Seuss would restart at the back of the field.  The restart would be short lived as cars checking up on the backstretch would collect the 69 of Jimmy Dolan and Jack Bateman in the 17 among others.  Bateman would leave the track via tow truck unable to return for the night.  The restart would become a new battle between Casella and the 47 of Louie Mechalides in the Marco Turcotte powered machine.  On lap 37 Mechalides would take the lead away from Casella.  Casella's chance would come again as the caution would fly on lap 38 for multiple cars spinning in turn three.  Mechalides was not giving up the lead as he powered his way back out front and on lap fifty collected the Black Mountain Painting half way bonus.    Andy Seuss and Les Mardanes in the 11 would bring out the next caution on lap fifty-four when Seuss would make contact with Mardanes coming into turn three.  It was still Mechalides and Casella on the front row but lurking in row number two would be the 2004 True Value Modified Racing Series Champion Kirk Alexander in the 43 and the 2002 NASCAR National Champion Peter Daniels in the 76 knocking on the back door.  Daniels would get by Casella along with Alexander.  On lap 68 it would all come apart as Alexander and Daniels would get high on the back stretch with Alexander making contact with Daniels.  The caution would come out but not for Daniels and Alexander but for the 96 of Butch Perry spinning in turn one.  The contact between Daniels and Alexander appeared to be an outcome of hard racing but was viewed differently by flagman Scott Hinckley.  Hinckley would display the black flag to Alexander, not sending him to the rear of the field but parking Alexander for the night with a disqualification.  Alexander would protest the decision and park his 43 machine under the flagstand in protest.  After calling push trucks to move Alexander he left the track.    The race would resume with Mechalides still in the lead with Daniels on the outside to challenge.  Mechalides would hold steadfast and continue to lead with Daniels in tow.  Dachenhausen now in third would be challenged by veteran driver Dwight Jarvis in the Townline Equipment number 28.  Lap sixty-nine would bring out the final caution of the night with a single car spin in turn three.  Mechalides would cross the start/finish line on lap one hundred to collect his first modified win.  Daniels would place second, Dachenhausen third, Jarvis fourth and rounding out the top five would be Chris Wenzel in the 83.  Wenzel would also collect the Sunoco Hard Charger Award by gaining fifteen positions from his twentieth starting position.  Wenzel being the fifth place finisher would also collect the Sherwood Racing Wheels Award.    Les Hinckley remains the point leader with just a six point gap between Hinckley and Peter Daniels .  Kirk Alexander took a small hit in points dropping back to fourth.  No doubt with only five races in the books Alexander hasn't thrown in the towel for the 2005 championship.    Next week the True Value Modified Racing Series will travel to the White Mountains Motorsports Park in Woodstock, NH for 100 laps of head to head modified action.  For more information on the True Value Modified Racing Series visit their site at www.modifiedracingseries.com.  

 Results

1. 47 Mechalides, Louie


2. 76 Daniels, Peter


3. 48 Dachenhausen, Ed


4. 28 Jarvis, Dwight


5. 83 Wenzel, Chris


6. 7 Polverari, Robert


7. 8 Monteith, Kirby


8. 35 Evonsion, Dale


9. 25 Casella, Gary


10. 71 Boniface, Jim


11. 72 Kuhn, James Jr.


12. 77 Batchelder, Bruce


13. 06 Hinckley, Les


14. 11 Mardanes, Les


15. 96 Perry, Russell


16. 70 Seuss, Andy


17. 69 Dolan, Jimmy


18. 62 Raymond, Roger


19. 66 Helliwell, Wayne Jr.


20. 17 Bateman, Jack

Disqualified

43 Alexander, Kirk
9 Albro, Dennis

Failed to Qualfiy

20 Ball, Rusty
41 Fredrickson, Karl
44 Storace, Jim
22 Nichols, Dave
3 Douglas, Mike